geht
/ɡeːt/
verb
Origin
Proto-Germanic
*gāną — to go, walk
Overview
Meaning Now
- third-person singular present indicative of gehen; to go, to walk, to move
- to function or work (e.g., of a machine or process)
- to be possible or acceptable (e.g., 'Das geht nicht' - that is not possible)
Literal older meaning
walks / goes
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Proto-Germanic → German
Earliest form
gān
Earliest period
Old High German (8th century)
Journey
The verb 'gehen' descends from the common Germanic root for 'to go'. In Old High German, it existed as a contract verb, which is reflected in the dual forms of the infinitive in historical stages before stabilizing into the modern 'gehen'.
Evolution
- Proto-Germanic
*gāną
“to go”
Strong verb, class VII.
- Old High German
gān / gēn
“to go”
- Middle High German
gēn
“to go”
- Modern German
geht
“walks, goes”
Inflected form of gehen.
Connections
Word parts
geh-
root
to walk/go
-t
ending
third-person singular present marker
Related across languages
English
go
to move
Dutch
gaan
to go
Explore next
Related to geht
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.